Chapter 7

A/N I am so, so sorry that it's taken me so long to update I had writer's block and I couldn't get myself in a sad enough mindset to write this. The song at the end is called "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman. Thanks for all the follows/favs/reviews they mean a lot to me and I am so grateful for each and every one.

Lena's POV

It's been 3 days since they took her and I can't help but feel responsible for it. Bill gave us a box of pictures of the girls so we could go through them and find a picture of Cora. I got through about three of the pictures before I broke down sobbing; the pictures ranged from recent to when Kirsten was a newborn. They where normal, happy girls with a family and a good life and look at them now. I chose the three pictures that looked most like her: one of her wearing a princess crown with a red rose on it, another of her on her 5th birthday smiling at the camera, candy in hand and pale blue eye shadow on and the third(and most recent) is of her Kirsten and a boy who Kirsten informs me is their younger brother; he has big dark, dark brown eyes and looks just like Cora, they are smiling falsely and she doesn't look anywhere near as happy as before.

We've been granted permission to foster Kirsten for now. She hasn't spoken much or cried, it's clear she doesn't really understand. Stef seems to blame herself. Jesus, he won't eat, he doesn't say much he just lies in his room. Mariana tries not to seem upset and does her best to keep Kirsten distracted but I can tell she's shaken up... We all are; we witnessed a kidnapping

Callie, Jude and Brandon seem to be almost unaffected but are probably just hiding their worry from Stef and I. I know it's not the best but we've got a lot on our plates at the moment and it doesn't seem the right time to tackle the issue

I just pray that she's okay. I just want to get to know her, I don't know what to do with myself

Life isn't fair and it's times like these that we see the true cruelty it is capable of. The world is full of good people but a twisted few ruin life for others. It feels like they went out of their way to hurt me, it's like they tore my heart out.

I can't even begin to imagine where she is now.

Cora's POV

I'm scared. I want Kirsten, I want to be with the nice ladies and Mari and Callie. These men are bad men. They put me in a little walled yard because I'm too pale. I think I've got least they gave me water. I can hear other children crying out for water. For some reason it's less scary knowing there's other children here.

When I arrived they took me to a room they called the assessment room and they gave me a check up. They said that I'll "do well" whatever that means.

Next they took me to another room and made me read, they were really surprised I could read and they made me do maths, I like 's too hot right now and I don't have any shade, I don't know what to do.

Stef's POV

As I am raking leaves in the backyard I hear Callie's guitar strumming. She begins to sing and she's actually pretty good:

"She spins and she sways to whatever song plays,

without a care in the world,

And I'm sitting here wearing the weight of the world on my shoulders.

It's been a long day and there's still work to do,

She's pullin at me sayin "Cal I need you,"

"There's a ball at the palace and I've been invited and I need practice my dancing."

"Oh please, Callie, please."

So I'll dance with cinderella while she is here in my arms,

'Cause I know something the prince never new.

Oh, I'll dance with cinderella, I don't wanna miss even one song,

'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone..."

I hear her trail off and then sniffling. She's crying. It's all because of those men.. They took her away before we knew what we had.

I've known that life's not fair for quite sometime but I try to protect my own... I failed.